CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Yew Tree House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Inspectors found suitable risk assessments, medicines systems, infection control arrangements and staff training.
- Effective?
- Good
- This question was not inspected during this focused visit. The previous rating was used when calculating the overall rating.
- Caring?
- Good
- This question was not inspected during this focused visit. The previous rating was used when calculating the overall rating.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This question was not inspected during this focused visit. The previous rating was used when calculating the overall rating.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found clear management arrangements, regular audits and quality checks, and positive feedback from staff, relatives and healthcare professionals.
What inspectors found, September 2022
Yew Tree House is rated Good overall; inspectors found safe, person-centred care and strong management, but this visit only checked Safe and Well-led.
This was an unannounced, focused inspection on 27 July 2022. Two inspectors observed care and staff interactions, looked around the home, spoke with staff, relatives and a healthcare professional, and checked care, medicines, recruitment and management records.
Safe and Well-led were both rated Good. Inspectors found that people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm, received medicines safely, and had care plans and risk assessments to guide staff. The home was clean and had infection control arrangements in place.
People appeared relaxed and happy. Inspectors saw people taking part in community activities and activities at home. Staff, relatives and professionals gave very positive feedback, and the home had systems to monitor quality and learn from incidents.
Safety planning
People had care plans and risk assessments covering areas such as distress, eating and drinking, and epilepsy. Staff understood the risks and how to support people safely.
“Risks to people had been assessed and actions needed to mitigate risk were available for staff to refer to.” from the report
Choice and community life
People were supported to make choices, take positive risks and use local community facilities. Inspectors saw people taking part in activities and appointments.
“People were supported to access facilities in their local community such as carriage horse riding, trampolining and swinging.” from the report
Medicines
Medicines were stored, administered and checked through established systems. Medicines were regularly reviewed, including efforts to reduce unnecessary medicines.
“There were systems in place for the storage, ordering, administering, and disposal of medicines.” from the report
Management and oversight
The home had regular audits, feedback meetings and checks on care, medicines, finances, health and safety, and infection control.
“A robust system was in place to monitor and improve the quality of care people received.” from the report
Positive relationships
People appeared relaxed with staff, and relatives and healthcare professionals gave very positive feedback about the care and leadership.
“People appeared happy and relaxed with staff in the home.” from the report
Recruitment and agency staff
minorRecruitment was ongoing to fill vacancies. Agency staff were being used to maintain assessed staffing levels, so families should ask about staff continuity for their relative.
“In the interim agency staff were used to maintain the assessed staffing levels” from the report
- 01How many staff vacancies are currently open, and how often are agency staff being used?
- 02How will my relative be involved in decisions about their care, activities and risks?
- 03How are medicines reviewed, especially medicines prescribed to be given only when needed?
- 04How can relatives give feedback, and how will we be told what action is taken?
- 05How will you keep us informed if there is an incident or a change in our relative's risks?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the other ratings carried over from the previous inspection in 2017. This explanation was written from the published report of 24 September 2022 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
What inspectors found, March 2022
Yew Tree House was inspected but not rated; inspectors found effective infection control and safe visiting arrangements.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 11 February 2022. Inspectors looked at infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and whether staffing pressures linked to COVID-19 were affecting people.
Inspectors found safe visiting options, checks for visitors and risk assessments to support family visits. People were supported to use communal, personal and community spaces safely and to restart activities in the community.
The home was using personal protective equipment correctly, following cleaning and testing arrangements, and responding to outbreaks with zoning and cohorting. The report also says management plans and policies reflected best practice.
The service was inspected but not rated. This was not a full inspection of all five areas of care.
Safe visiting
The home offered several ways for relatives to visit, including an outdoor visiting pod, visits inside when possible, window and garden visits, and video calls.
“A variety of safe visiting options were offered and thorough checks were completed before visitors entered the service.” from the report
Infection control
Staff used face masks correctly. The home had portable PPE stations, daily cleaning arrangements and testing in line with national guidance.
“Staff wore facemasks correctly and consistently during our visit.” from the report
Managing outbreaks
The home used zoning and cohorting to reduce infection risks and worked with external professionals when outbreaks occurred.
“The service had responded effectively to manage and limit outbreaks.” from the report
Supporting normal activities
People were supported to restart community activities safely, taking account of restrictions, individual risks and support needs.
“People had been supported to restart activities in the community safely, in-line with any lockdown restrictions, their individual risks and support needs.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What visiting options are available now, and are there still arrangements for visits inside the home, outdoors and by video call?
- 02How do you assess and manage the risks when a resident visits their family home or takes part in community activities?
- 03What infection control, testing and PPE arrangements are currently in place?
- 04How would you manage an infection outbreak, and how would relatives be kept informed?
- 05What measures are in place if COVID-19 or other staffing pressures affect the service?
This was an announced targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and COVID-19 staffing pressures; the service was inspected but not rated. This explanation was written from the published report of 1 March 2022 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of Yew Tree House
3 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- September 2022Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2022Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- October 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- November 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- October 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 5 January 2011.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
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38 live-in carers within about an hour of Gloucestershire
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £1,030 to £1,360 a week. 31 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
“She was very caring, kind and patient to all his needs, she built up a wondetful rapport with him, she was dedicated and was there for him through good times as well as through the tough times”
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.